1. Field of the Technology
The present technology relates to an image forming apparatus and an image forming method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Currently, image forming apparatuses such as a copying machine, a facsimile and a printer that employ an ink-jet method or an electrophotographic method become main stream.
In the ink-jet method an image is formed by spraying an ink toward a recording medium from an ink head of an ink cartridge by heat or vibration. The constitution of apparatus is simple, and size reduction is possible, but printing speed is slow.
Most of the electrophotographic methods use a so-called dry development method, and an image is formed using a powder toner. In recent years, with the demand of an image forming apparatus capable of forming a high definition and high quality image, particle size of a powder toner used in the dry development method becomes smaller. A toner having small particle size scatters out of an image forming apparatus, and contaminates the surrounding area. Furthermore, it is difficult to remove a toner that suspends and remains in an image forming apparatus after transfer treatment.
When the particle size of the toner is too small, where a person handling the toner inhales the toner suspended in an atmosphere, there is a possibility that the toner inhaled in the lungs is not metabolized, resulting in diseases such as pneumoconiosis. Thus, there is a limit in the dry development method using a toner having a small particle size.
In view of the above, a wet development method is being studied. In the wet development method, toner is used by being dispersed in a solvent. Therefore, the wet development method does not cause the problems generated in a dry development method, and it is easy to handle as a fine toner.
In the electrophotographic method, printing speed is fast, but a toner must be heated and melted in order to fix the toner to a recording medium. As a result, constitution of an apparatus equipped with a heating and melting section becomes large, and it is difficult to reduce the size of an apparatus. Furthermore, large energy is required to melt the toner.
A printer used in a printing field also uses a wet development method. However, in the conventional printers, it is required to prepare a plate of the original, and are not suitable for on-demand printing such as electrophotography.
In view of such a background, an image forming apparatus that has a small size, has fast printing speed, gives less influence to human body or environment, consumes less energy and additionally enables on-demand printing is desired.
The related art, for example, disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 05-011566 (1993), conducts image formation of electrophotographic method using a wet development method. In conducting the image formation, a latent image bearing member is charged and exposed to form an electrostatic latent image, the electrostatic latent image on the latent image bearing member is electrostatically transferred onto an intermediate transfer member having at least a dielectric layer and a conductive layer, the electrostatically transferred electrostatic latent image on the intermediate transfer member is visualized by wet development, and the visible image on the intermediate transfer member is non-electrostatically transferred to a final recording body by heating and pressurizing.
Such related art employs an electrophotographic method. Therefore, high voltage must be applied to a charging section which charges a latent image bearing member, and this makes an apparatus complicated and increase its size. For example, where a latent image bearing member is charged with a corona discharger or the like, large energy is consumed. Furthermore, the latent image bearing member deteriorates by high voltage, and there is a possibility to cause defective charging. When defective charging is caused, it is difficult to obtain a high precision image.
Furthermore, a toner must be heated and melted in order to fix the toner to a recording medium, and in such a case, large energy is consumed.